Houston News

New Look Rick Perry Creates Buzz

Texas Governor Rick Perry hasn’t announced if he’ll run for President again, but his new look has a lot of people talking.

And it's not just the new glasses. It's a softer attitude on issues like marijuana.

“We’re trying to be smart about it. You don’t want to ruin a kid’s life for having a joint,” Perry told ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel in Austin earlier this year.

Political strategist Bill Miller tells KTRH it's a big change from the Perry of two years ago.

“He was set in his ways. He seems to have adopted a totally different strategy,” Miller said. “The Governor knows if he wants to run for President he has to reinvent himself.”

Especially after his bid for the Presidency in 2012 failed the way it did. But this new Perry, Perry 2.0, does have his own concerns. There is a grand jury considering if he abused his power when he vetoed a bill last year.

“He won’t be indicted. But it will be something he wishes he didn’t have to go through,” Miller explained. “Some of his behavior raised questions and they are taking a look at it.”

Miller says his opponents will use that against him in two years. So what are his chances if he runs against possible candidates like Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush?

“He stands a chance, but it’s a long shot. Even he would acknowledge that,” Miller said. “He needs a lot of breaks and a lot of stuff to go his way.”